Latest news with #EvaLongoria
Telegraph
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Amazon's War of the Worlds update should never have been released
Since the publication of HG Wells's The War of the Worlds in 1898, the story of slug-like Martians invading Earth in clanking tripods has been retold in many shapes and forms. There was Orson Welles's notoriously realistic radio version, plus television shows, movies, video games and Jeff Wayne's prog-rock opera, with its feverish synth solos and mind-bending mullets. But no previous adaptation has extracted every trace of excitement from Wells's science fiction staple so thoroughly as music video director Rich Lee's appalling new War of the Worlds, which relays the action via the dull medium of Zoom cameras, phone streams and Google Maps read-outs. It is silly, shoddy and features far too much of rapper-turned-leading man Ice Cube staring at a computer screen while looking as if he's working through a reasonably urgent digestive ailment. Like a heat-ray in reverse, it leeches all the fun out of what should be an epic tale of alien invasion. As with the Martians in their mysterious cylinders, it has taken its time burrowing to the surface. This War of the Worlds was filmed during the pandemic, when studios were desperate to greenlight new projects. Hence, Cube's surveillance expert, Will, and a cast that also includes Eva Longoria as a hotshot Nasa scientist and Clark Gregg (The West Wing) as the director of Homeland Security, all filming their scenes alone, as Covid regulations intended. In addition to making Covid compliance more straightforward – and keeping the budget down – producers Timur Bekmambetov and Patrick Aiello wanted to follow the example set by Orson Welles by telling the story through the prism of modern technology. In 1938, it was radio. Today, it is social media live-streams and surveillance cameras, which is how Will watches the invasion unfold. 'It'll be exciting for audiences to watch the movie and ask themselves: if aliens invaded today, how would we experience it? Most likely, we'd be watching it on phones,' said Bekmambetov, who has previously produced social media found-footage films such as 2015's Unfriended. 'In that way, it's kind of a modern spin on Orson Welles's War of the Worlds. Back then, he used radio, the most popular technology of the time, to make people believe the invasion was real. Today, that medium is the screen of our devices.' It's a promising idea that War of the Worlds fails to do any justice to. Which is presumably why Universal Pictures let it rot on a shelf for four years before passing it off to Amazon Prime Video – rapidly becoming home to streaming's biggest collection of B-movies (its servers are stuffed with dross such as Slime City and Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe). In delaying the release, Universal and Prime have had the bad luck to have their movie coincide with the 20th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's superlative War of the Worlds. Though eclipsed at the time by star Tom Cruise's increasing eccentricity (this was circa his bouncing on Oprah's couch nadir), watched today, Spielberg's tilt at Wells is everything the sorry Ice Cube version is not. Spielberg's film is tense, spectacular and, in places, genuinely terrifying. For instance, the scene where the first Martian tripod emerges from beneath a street and starts zapping passersby explores America's post 9/11 traumas through the medium of alien invasion to stunning effect. By contrast, the only thing stunning about Cube's War of the Worlds is the fact that it has seen daylight. Unlike the seismic CGI of the Spielberg version, here the Martians and their tripods look like they were churned out on a shoestring (and possibly a Sinclair ZX81). Cube, for his part, is out of his depth as the moral heart of the film. Before the Martians arrive, he spends most of his time keeping tabs on his pregnant daughter (Iman Benson) and underachieving son (Henry Hunter Hall). He doesn't have the charisma to carry off the part of a dad who spies because he cares too much. Then, after the extra terrestrials gatecrash, he is reduced to shouting things like, 'Take your intergalactic asses back home!' all the time. There is an attempt at social commentary, with the Martians seeking not Earth's resources but humanity's data – handily stored on a central server in the middle of Washington, DC. This leads to an accidentally hilarious denouement in which Cube tries to beat a tripod to the access point, waving a memory stick over his head and huffing for all he is worth. (As if to hammer home how desperate this film is, at one point a character utters the words: 'I need you to place an official order on Amazon to activate the drone.') It's one of the most tragic things Prime has put on screen – and I say that as someone who had to watch its Mr Beast game show. Any aliens considering invading our planet will take one look at the new War of the Worlds and change their plans. Why bother making the trip when all humanity has to offer is five-star brain-rot with atrocious special effects?
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Victoria and David Beckham welcome beloved son Cruz and his girlfriend Jackie Apostel onboard their £16M yacht in St Tropez as they enjoy summer break with family friend Eva Longoria... but Brooklyn is still missing
Victoria Beckham looked thrilled to welcome her beloved son Cruz and his girlfriend Jackie Apostel onboard her and David's £16million yacht in St Tropez on Monday. The couple's eldest son Brooklyn, 26, and daughter-in-law Nicola Peltz, 30, continue to be absent from their annual summer break amid an ongoing family feud. The family has been thrown into turmoil in recent months, amid claims Brooklyn has become increasingly estranged from his famous parents after failing to attend any of his father David's 50th birthday celebrations in May. Cruz, 20, joined his parents mid-trip following a romantic break with Jackie, 30, elsewhere. Eva Longoria, 50 - a close family friend of the Beckhams - was also spotted on their multi-million pound vessel with her husband José Bastón, 57. The Desperate Housewives actress, who is godmother to Victoria and David's daughter Harper, was seen relaxing on a sun lounger in a high-leg white swimsuit before greeting Cruz and Jackie. Cruz joined his parents during their annual family getaway following a romantic break with Jackie elsewhere After settling in, Cruz enjoyed a dip in the ocean with his father, 50, before sharing a sweet embrace while chatting to Victoria, 51. Fashion designer Victoria looked incredibly elegant in a black lace dress, teamed with a large sun hat. The couple traded in their £5million yacht for the much bigger vessel last year, and had been pictured on it sailing around Miami. The impressive looking vessel, understood to be worth £16million, was a significant upgrade on the comparatively modest 100-foot yacht reportedly purchased by Beckham in 2022. The football legend was said to have 'treated himself' to his original vessel in 2022 after being inspired by his maritime jaunts with close friends Sir Elton John and David Furnish - who often holiday at sea. A source told The Sun at the time: 'David had a look around some yachts in the summer, and decided to treat himself. He helped design the boat himself, and has been incredibly hands-on with everything. 'It's not an oligarch-style super-yacht, but it's still pretty plush by anyone's standards. He was inspired after holidaying with Elton and David on their boat - and loves life on the water. 'There will be an area for the kids to snorkel, and the boat will be a brilliant base for the whole Beckham clan to have magical holidays abroad.' The family has been thrown into turmoil in recent months, amid claims Brooklyn has become increasingly estranged from his famous parents after failing to attend any of his father David's 50th birthday celebrations in May Shirtless David showered off after a dip The couple traded in their £5million yacht for the much bigger vessel last year, and had been pictured on it sailing around Miami The impressive looking vessel, understood to be worth £16million, was a significant upgrade on the comparatively modest 100-foot yacht reportedly purchased by Beckham in 2022 The football legend was said to have 'treated himself' to his original vessel in 2022 after being inspired by his maritime jaunts with close friends Sir Elton John and David Furnish - who often holiday at sea Cruz showed off her skills as he dived into the water from the boat The trio looked in great spirits on the family trip David and Victoria are also away with their other children, Romeo, 22 and Harper, 14. Victoria gave a rare insight into her feelings about estranged son Brooklyn with a telling social media move. The former Spice Girl has proved she is still keeping tabs on her eldest son's moves by 'liking' several of his social media facts. Notably, in the three-weeks spanning July 5 and July 26 - she liked every single one of his posts that didn't feature Nicola. All posts in which he was seen with his wife, were not acknowledged by Victoria. It is possible that these posts - four out of the 16 - were simply not seen by her. Victoria has not liked any of Nicola's posts in the same time period. Nor have the Lola actress and Brooklyn liked any of Victoria's. Brooklyn did, however, open up about the only thing he and wife Nicola argue over amid the ongoing feud with his famous family. Despite their troubles, the hunk suggested the couple, who wed in 2023, are still very much in the honeymoon stage and only disagree over the thermostat. They transferred onto the yacht The trio caught up after a few days away from each other The father-son duo dried off after a fun afternoon in the sea He told GQ: 'By the way, that's the only argument me and my wife have, the temperature in the room. She loves it'. 'She runs cold, so she always wants it all hot all the time. I always run hot, and I like to have it a little bit colder, so we meet in the middle.' It was previously revealed that Brooklyn and Nicola's Instagram accounts no longer follow his younger brothers Cruz and Romeo in the latest family drama. However, Brooklyn's friends told MailOnline that Cruz and Romeo have actually blocked them on the social media platform. This would make sense given that Brooklyn and Nicola are still following Victoria and David. Cruz and Romeo were still following Brooklyn and Nicola earlier this month but appeared to take action after Brooklyn posted a birthday tribute to sister Harper, sharing a family photo without them in it – which Nicola reposted. There was much speculation whether Brooklyn would reach out to Harper on her 14th birthday, but despite him doing so, it seems all is not well in the camp. Brooklyn's birthday tribute to Harper marked his first public interaction with his family since he paid tribute to his grandmother Sandra on June 26, despite remaining silent and shunning his father's 50th birthday earlier that same month. Sources close to the family have told MailOnline of their fears that Brooklyn and his wife Nicola have also distanced themselves from Harper after they failed to visit her when they flew into London in May to film an advert for French-Italian clothing brand Moncler just over a mile from the family home in Holland Park. David and Victoria had no idea whether Brooklyn, who Harper has idolised since she was a little girl, would message her privately or publicly on Instagram because they have no communication with him.
CNN
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Searching For Spain: Spain's Big Bang - Eva Longoria Searching For Spain - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
Searching For Spain: Spain's Big Bang Eva Longoria Searching For Spain 47 mins Eva Longoria uncovers how Spain's cuisine transformed from humble beginnings to become a global culinary sensation in just one generation.
CNN
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Searching For Spain: Marbella - Eva Longoria Searching For Spain - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
Searching For Spain: Marbella Eva Longoria Searching For Spain 47 mins After making Marbella her home, Eva Longoria celebrates with family and friends, enjoying the city's vibrant dishes and local flavours.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Unilever ice cream spinoff should free up cash
Unilever is set to update investors on the listing of its ice cream business this week. The consumer goods giant spun off the division behind Magnum (advertised by actress Eva Longoria), Ben & Jerry's and Wall's at the start of this month after snubbing London for an Amsterdam listing earlier this year. The group – whose brands also include Dove, Comfort and Hellmann's – will update investors on its plans for a fourth quarter listing on Thursday. Aarin Chiekrie, from broker Hargreaves Lansdown, said the ice cream demerger should 'free up plenty of cash to pay down debts and invest in other, higher-returning areas of the business'. It is looking to save £700m by cutting 7,500 jobs.
